The Chinese, with a population of 1.3 billion (91% Han Chinese), have a very high IQ average of 105. But little is known for the IQ level in different regions of China, whereas geographically and demographically it is simply too vast to ignore the regional discrepancy within the country itself. After an amateur scavenger hunt on the internet I actually did find some Chinese source about the IQ geography in China.

The data I found came from a website that offers self IQ tests for the Chinese netizens. Information such as age, geographical location were collected for the correlation purpose for the test result. The original statistics could be found here (in Chinese). I have constructed a series of simple diagrams for the IQ level by province in China (with the amount of participants in each province), as follows:

IQ by province in China (excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau) typo: Tianjian should be Tianjin (mistake in excel)

Number of participants by province (in total 63636)

There are 63,636 participants who took the IQ test on this website from all 31 provinces in mainland China. The mean IQ level of all participants is 106. This is more or less close to the figure given in Lynn’s IQ and Wealth of Nations. Considering the skewed effect of having more participants from regions with apparently higher IQ (e.g. Beijing, Shanghai, etc.), the average IQ level from the test might be slightly deviated from the actual average IQ level of China. Nevertheless, it could still give us a general idea of the IQ geography in China.

IQ level by Province (the darker color means higher IQ average)

There’s a lot to be drawn from the IQ level by province data in China. From a simple glimpse of this IQ map of China, it is evident that the highest IQ level concentrates in the Central Eastern coast of China (around Shanghai, traditionally called Jiangnan). This region in China is famous for its beautiful nature, nature resources, and most importantly, talented intellectuals and traders. This region also happens to be the locomotive of China’s soaring economy. Interestingly, 5 out of 8 Chinese Nobel prize winners (except for the lame peace award which literally means nothing but a leftist scam) come from this particular region of China.

Besides Jiangnan region, high IQ level was also observed in economic strongholds such as Beijing and Guangdong. Those regions surely attracts more smart people than elsewhere in China.

The exceptionally high IQ level of Gansu, a northwestern underdeveloped province in China, could result from the skewed sampling in the study (merely 612 participants claimed to be from Gansu). It is possible that those participants might misrepresent the actual IQ level in Gansu (given that most of Gansu still struggles from poverty and environmental hardship).

Central-south China has a relatively high IQ level (including Hunan, the province I am from). This region is known for its fertile land and mild climate. This region is considered the core of China proper with extensive historical sedimentation that nurtures the rise of Chinese civilization. (off the topic: Hunan is know for its ferocious political and military figures in modern China!).

The relatively low IQ level regions in China largely overlap with the geographical region that has high minority populations with harsh geographical and climatic environment. It is unclear, however, about the role of ethnicity profiles in this observation. This study contains no data about the ethnicity of the participants. Hence, it is inconclusive to say that minorities have a lower IQ tendency compared to Han Chinese in this study, though it is probably the case in reality (from other parameters to judge high IQ level such as level of agricultural productivity, civilization etc).

Overall, this data at least shows us a general impression on the IQ level in different provinces of China. Hopefully there are more studies available for such topic in the future.

Point estimates without confidence intervals/standard errors are not very useful, especially since the n varies a lot across provinces.

Selection problems. Netizens taking an online IQ test are not representative of the general population. So I wouldn’t draw too much from the numbers. I also have my doubts about the validity of the test.

The variation is interesting, if you believe the numbers are comparable across provinces. Instead of representing differences between Han subgroups, I would interpret this as migration of high-IQ folks to areas where high IQ is most rewarded.

If you can get SAT/GRE score data by province, that would be better. (cheating only spoils individual estimates, not population estimates)

From what I read of Yunnan, I don’t consider it Chinese; “North Burma” would be closer to it. I talked with a Chinese co-worker about Yunnan once… she considered it a remote and strange province, with head-hunters.

Thank you! White guy here, I have a lot of friends in China and we were trying to compare the average IQ of Shanghai to the average IQ of Hong Kong to see if actually Shanghainese were the true smartest in the world. Great color coded map you have made here, I also love the one you made breaking down average IQ by country. I use it a lot while debating politics online online, so I owe you one.

Practicing light eugenics, you can increase the average IQ of a nation by 10 to 20 points in just one generation. And I don’t mean executing dumb people or anything like that, I mean just simple policies like Singapore used, where you must first get a college degree before you are eligible to have children. It is getting to the point now where we need to seriously consider ideas like these. As it is now, smart people hardly have any children, since they are typically more career oriented. While at the same time, dumb people are having ten kids on average. You don’t need a high IQ to see this is a serious problem. In a couple generations we are going to be a world full of drooling idiots.

i think chinese iq dropped quite a bit after the khitan, jurchen, mongol, manchu, western-colonial imperialism, japanese, and communist onslaught; last 800 years was like the middle age of china . before these, song dynasty’s GDP was bigger than the rest of the world combined.

I don’t think China’s GDP was ever bigger than the rest of the world combined. The GDP share probably did peak during the Song Dynasty, and may have been as high as 40% or so, but the rest of the world still had a larger GDP. However, before the Italian Renaissance and especially the British Industrial Revolution, GDP was mostly just a proxy for population size.

China’s large share of world GDP during the Song Dynasty was mostly a reflection of China’s huge population share, which was at least 35% at the peak. By the end of the Song Dynasty, Western European GDP had recovered from the European ‘Dark Age’, and, as in the Roman era, was about the same as in China. The difference is that China had a much bigger population.

China’s share of world population may actually have peaked later, in the early 19th century, but by then Europe was already industrialising, so China’s GDP share was lower than the Song Dynasty peak. Unlike Europe in the ‘Dark Ages’, where GDP per capita actually collapsed, China’s GDP per capita was just stagnant from the end of the Song Dynasty until the 19th century. When the Qing Empire started to collapse, China’s GDP per capita collapsed too.

I doubt any of it really has anything to do with IQ. It’s mostly a matter of (a) the size of the population, (b) whether or not there was a functioning state, (c) whether or not industrialisation had started.

“I don’t think China’s GDP was ever bigger than the rest of the world combined. ”

You need more data to assert something like that. There are loads of solid studies available. Go figure it yourself. Thing is China enjoyed great prosperity in his long Medieval era, because unlike other civilizations, China doesn’t go through the 1.Bronze Age Collapse, and 2. China managed to offset the adverse effects of nomadic invasion in an early stage. This makes China superior in the late antiquity and early and even middle Medieval Age, of which Western Europe managed to surpass after the Renaissance.

“GDP was mostly just a proxy for population size.”
Well, technology and social structure decides the population back in the days. Of course the more people your country could support, more superior you are back in the days.

“I doubt any of it really has anything to do with IQ. It’s mostly a matter of (a) the size of the population, (b) whether or not there was a functioning state, (c) whether or not industrialisation had started.”

Go figure India, or Pakistan, or Bangladesh, if it has nothing to do with IQ. Having said that, having the ability to devise and maintain a functioning polity has everything to do with the IQ. So does industrialization.

I believe there are available data for Hong Kong alone. My study is not complete, it merely serves an general indicator. The sampling pool is not that big, and it’s mostly from website-report data. But it still could give us some insight about how people perform such tests in China.

The global IQ numbers that you are citing are based on limited sampling. According to the Wikipedia: “In 104 of the world’s nations, there were no IQ studies at all and IQ was estimated based on IQ in surrounding nations.” Central Asia’s results, for instance are purely estimates. I seriously doubt that there are significant discrepancies in IQ among Eurasian populations (excluding Australoids and SE Asians– low IQ admixture and some SW Asian Arabs). All of the differences seem to be cultural to me.

As an (75%) ethnic Russian, it is ridiculous to claim that Han are higher-IQ than we are… where are all of the Chinese Nobelists? Where is the Chinese classical music? Where are brilliant Chinese novelists? Why didn’t China launch 1st satellite? China seems to have had a last “burst” of creativity during the Ming dynasty, after that things decayed. China has had some impressive economic growth after 1978, but China is still decades behind West and Russia. No doubt China’s average IQ would have been low if compared to Russia’s in say 1948.

I love the Chinese culture. I enjoy your traditions like the Beijing opera and I have been in China twice. But comparing Beijing and Moscow, there is no comparison. Beijing seems dirty and crowded, Moscow clean and refined. Even compared to Tashkent in Uzbek SSR, where I was born it seem that Chinese cities are much less refined.

“As an (75%) ethnic Russian, it is ridiculous to claim that Han are higher-IQ than we are… where are all of the Chinese Nobelists? Where is the Chinese classical music? “Where are brilliant Chinese novelists? Why didn’t China launch 1st satellite?

Go goolging yourself, I know you feel ethnocentric and everything, be my guest. Chinese Classic music is pure awesome, google Gunqin….and we got couple of scientists that got the Nobel (the recent one being the former vice-chancellor of my university; Kao Kun, who invented the optic fiber. It’s funny to me that since you don’t know shit therefore you think the world stops at where you know…. Classic Chinese literature is the essence of our civilization. Just read more buddy and then question me where are brilliant Chinese novelists. Soviet launched the first satelite but you ended up living in the second country that did so anyway. What’s your point?

“China seems to have had a last “burst” of creativity during the Ming dynasty, after that things decayed. China has had some impressive economic growth after 1978, but China is still decades behind West and Russia. No doubt China’s average IQ would have been low if compared to Russia’s in say 1948.”
LOL… What can i say, I am gonna say the same thing:”YOU DON:T KNOW SHIT ABOUT CHINA so please read more, if you are willing to. China decades behind Russia? PRob you’ve got more rich oligarch with big ass houses in London…. I give credit to that. The origin of your ethno-pride: Russia, if it weren’t because of the damn Nordic Varangians who led you all the way, Slavs would have still farmed for the Khazars.

” love the Chinese culture. I enjoy your traditions like the Beijing opera and I have been in China twice. But comparing Beijing and Moscow, there is no comparison. Beijing seems dirty and crowded, Moscow clean and refined. Even compared to Tashkent in Uzbek SSR, where I was born it seem that Chinese cities are much less refined.”
Beijing Opera is some lowly folk shit. If you really dig Chinese culture, go read some classic stuff. You being in China as a tourist doesn’t mean anything. I was in Russia twice but most of my knowledge about Russia came from reading your country’s history books. Beijing sucks big time, but the infrastructure is much more awesome than whatever cities you talking about in Russia. I don’t even want to start with this senseless arguing, but I hate it every single time that I have to transfer in Sheremetyevo… Either way you don’t seem to live in that country anyway, what do you care about if you never gonna go back there and bring your kids as Russians…

open mind and let ppl argue thats the way the world progress. don’t be “Stalinist”. :)
btw, I am a Chinese.
Also, the online test is not a perfect indicator. the National post-secondary entrance exam resulsts may be a good indicator in terms of IQ RANKING of provinces.

Does this mean that the average IQ of a country is very much linked to the economical strength? I would like to know the method used for the IQ test, if the different methods can be combined and and by whom this was carried out.
Regards from Germany.

“They did not use Ravens, or any other standardized format I can recognize.
…

*
There are some factors here which make me cautious. You all are probably aware that the English-speaking web has a large number of IQ-test websites, I submitted myself to a bunch of them when I was younger. A unifying factor in all of them is unfortunately that they report (very) high IQ values of their participants.

Some possible reasons:

1) People voluntarily taking IQ tests on the internet will be (often, much) higher than average.

2) There is a strong incentive to overreport IQ to the test taker. For a commercial IQ site, the sales pitch is generally: “wow, look at your high IQ on your free test. Dopamine burst! Pay us money to get a more detailed elaboration on how smart you are, genius…”. This sounds trite, but it’s a commercial model that gets buyers.

As a teenager, I curiously googled around (I believe) a good subsample of internet IQ tests, some of which did report average test participant results. I’ve never yet seen a website giving an average which was close to the national average. And I suspect it’s for the above reasons. Usually, averages were 10+ points over the national average.

*
Now, contrast this with the website which Slitty Eye gets his data from. The match between the website data with the “expected” values for China, it’s very unusual, it stands out suspiciously.

a) It’s possible that a perfect subsample of the entire country of China has represented themselves on the website, making the website look very good indeed.

b) I unfortunately think it’s more probable that the website simply presented whatever result would make its (commercial…) IQ test service appear trustworthy. Faked its data to whatever people want to see. T.I.C.

This may be why cautious blogmaster “slitty-eye” has yet to receive a reply to his request for data access.

*
Other signs for caution is that they associate themselves with MENSA, while their test is obviously not grounds for MENSA admission. And that they have apparently pirated the most prominent Danish prep-for-MENSA IQ test websites main test, without even bothering to remove the copyright infringement notice, see below. I’ve met the guy who made it, Anders Ditlev Jensen. His test is actually well-normed (250.000+), but it hasn’t been updated for a while (it’s a labor of love, not a commercial product), and it’s not the main test on which http://www.IQEQ.com.cn base their regional data.

The website proprietors [of the Chinese IQ test which Slitty Eye is getting his data from] may have sub-maxmimum conscience. [it’s a commercial site, and they don’t even remove the copyright notice from the http://www.iqtest.dk IQ test which they plagiarize…]”

“The origin of your ethno-pride: Russia, if it weren’t because of the damn Nordic Varangians who led you all the way, Slavs would have still farmed for the Khazars. ”

The Khazars are overrated. They were in the Kavkaz region. They never expanded beyond that. And they were not Jews (maybe a few of their kings converted). They were Turko-Mongoloids mixed with Iranids and Dinarids. Sort of like modern Uzbeks. They are dead now so point is irrelavant.

“Chinese Classic music is pure awesome, google Gunqin”

Yeah, it nice. But it doesn’t reach the heights of European classical music.

“China decades behind Russia?”

If the Chinese are really 6 points above the Slavs IQ, why did the Chinese take until 2003 to use 60 year old technology to launch a man into space? Why did China have 2 failed centuries? Why is China’s military still crap by global standards? The Russian military (substantially weaker than the Soviet military) could be in Beijing in 48 hours, if need be. Russia would crush China in any open conflict. Besides, we built your military. Everything China has is based on Russian technology))

You still operate equipment from the 1950s, and have only 20 missiles capable of striking USA targets. I doubt China could even match VIETNAM much less Russian Federation in a war. China is a weak country, with a very nice culture and history, but is vastly overrated in all spheres. Good luck with Taiwan.

“I don’t even want to start with this senseless arguing, but I hate it every single time that I have to transfer in Sheremetyevo…”

But the Russian people build their own infrastructure. China needs to hire westerners to do all of their work. Like terminal 3 in Beijing airport was built by dutch/uk. The famous “Shanghai tower” was engineered by americans.

“Either way you don’t seem to live in that country anyway, what do you care about if you never gonna go back there and bring your kids as Russians…”

I study in the USA, and I have lived in both countries. But don’t you live in Europe? If Chinese are so brilliant, why is China still in most parts a poor hellhole? I don’t think you are inferior, but your IQ is not >106 on average. Otherwise China would have colonized Mars by now))

“The Khazars are overrated. They were in the Kavkaz region. They never expanded beyond that. And they were not Jews (maybe a few of their kings converted). They were Turko-Mongoloids mixed with Iranids and Dinarids. Sort of like modern Uzbeks. They are dead now so point is irrelavant. ”

Khazar rules, if weren’t for them, you guys would have probably associated to Mecca already. The point is you’ve got know better about your own history first.

“Yeah, it nice. But it doesn’t reach the heights of European classical music.”
When Chinese classic music reached its peak Europe was still a savageland, from Greek’s perspective. Ever heard of How do you know about classic Chinese music and what do you know about classic European music? Fingerpointing is easy, but you gotta back up with solid arguments buddy. It’s not who raises the loudest voice wins. I think you need to educate yourself a bit more before talking to me on this topic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bianzhong_of_Marquis_Yi_of_Zeng Check that out, just for the teaser..

“If the Chinese are really 6 points above the Slavs IQ, why did the Chinese take until 2003 to use 60 year old technology to launch a man into space? Why did China have 2 failed centuries? Why is China’s military still crap by global standards? The Russian military (substantially weaker than the Soviet military) could be in Beijing in 48 hours, if need be. Russia would crush China in any open conflict. Besides, we built your military. Everything China has is based on Russian technology))….”
I really have no energy to argue with those childish assertions and ignorant rhetoric questions. You really need to read more to consolidate your thoughts before making assertions.

“But the Russian people build their own infrastructure. China needs to hire westerners to do all of their work. Like terminal 3 in Beijing airport was built by dutch/uk. The famous “Shanghai tower” was engineered by americans.”
What the heck is that Shanghai tower? You mean the Pearl Tower? Funny thing is they never thought of stealing from the Russians when those high speed rails were built. I got your point. You were saying Chinese can’t build shit and have to absolutely rely on western manpower and technology. Hey, it’d be a huge relief for the Americans if it were true.

“I study in the USA, and I have lived in both countries. But don’t you live in Europe? If Chinese are so brilliant, why is China still in most parts a poor hellhole? I don’t think you are inferior, but your IQ is not >106 on average. Otherwise China would have colonized Mars by now))”
Dude, go check some basic statistics. You’d be surprised to see how ignorant you were. The progress of poverty alleviation in China is of monumental scale in the past two decades. Having said that, hellholes are everywhere. But China is demographically homogeneous, making the country a better stance to eradicate those hellholes. Either way, it’s a joke that a Russian telling a Chinese your country has shit loads of hellholes. It just simply don’t work like that. I do think Russians are cool, however, and you need to read more besides your college textbooks.

“When Chinese classic music reached its peak Europe was still a savageland, from Greek’s perspective. ”

Ignorance much? The Romans praised the Germanics for their “high level of civilization” and Slavs and Celts had amazing artworks. I invite you to learn about the Kievan Rus.

“Khazar rules, if weren’t for them, you guys would have probably associated to Mecca already. The point is you’ve got know better about your own history first.”

The Kavkaz form too strong a geographic barrier to Islamic expansion. Besides, Arabs would have froze to death in the Russian winter.

“I really have no energy to argue with those childish assertions and ignorant rhetoric questions. You really need to read more to consolidate your thoughts before making assertions.”

1) The DF rocket (which is China’s main missile platform) was developed in 1970s. It is based on the V-2 which fascist Germany developed in 1943.
2) The USSR launched men into space in 1961. China didn’t accomplish a similar feat until 2003. The Sputnik satellite was launched in 1957. China launched its satellite in 1970– based on Russian technology.
3) Your own PLA military acknowledges that your military is crap. The UK was building aircraft carriers in the 1920s. Why did China have to buy a rusty, decayed, rotten ship from Ukraine to do the same? If Chinese are so smart, why can’t they build their own carrier fighters? The J-20 is based on stolen US technology. China’s missile force is a joke too. Chinese missiles can barely hit the US West Coast.

“What the heck is that Shanghai tower? You mean the Pearl Tower? Funny thing is they never thought of stealing from the Russians when those high speed rails were built. I got your point. You were saying Chinese can’t build shit and have to absolutely rely on western manpower and technology. Hey, it’d be a huge relief for the Americans if it were true.”

Is Google down?

1)Those high-speed rails were mostly designed in Europe, and China’s army is basically Saddam’s on steroids. Face it, Communist China’s social culture is incompatible with innovation. Don’t bring up paper or movable type. The China of the Song Dynasty has as much to do with PRC as Islamic Iran has to do with the Achaemenids. China invented some things surely, and has an interesting history, but it is pure nationalistic bs to claim China is so superior. If you are, why not just invade Taiwan tomorrow)) Surely that will succeed. ;))

“Dude, go check some basic statistics. You’d be surprised to see how ignorant you were. The progress of poverty alleviation in China is of monumental scale in the past two decades. Having said that, hellholes are everywhere. But China is demographically homogeneous, making the country a better stance to eradicate those hellholes.”

1) Yes, it is impressive. But there are still alot of slums in China. China is still horribly polluted, all over. Where are Russia’s hell-holes? Tiny towns in Siberia? Going to Chongqing felt like traveling in 19th century England during Industrial Revolution. The poverty was incredible. Also, China is far from homogenous. The Han Chinese are an extremely diverse group genetically and culturally. Sure, China is alot more homogenous, clean, and developed than India, but it doesn’t come close to even Iran.

“Either way, it’s a joke that a Russian telling a Chinese your country has shit loads of hellholes. It just simply don’t work like that. I do think Russians are cool, however, and you need to read more besides your college textbooks.”

Without “Russia” China would have ended up a colonized mess. The KMT would be ruling over a big version of India with a weak central government. You can thank Russia for building PRC’s atom bomb, the PRC army, and detering the USA from invading via Korea. We do not hate China and never did. But China has much to thank “Russia” for.

Also, you never responded to my original point. Did you just read the wikipedia page, or did you actually read Lynn’s book? The IQ numbers are purely fabricated for a majority of the nations. It is unscientific BS.

“The global IQ numbers that you are citing are based on limited sampling. According to the Wikipedia: “In 104 of the world’s nations, there were no IQ studies at all and IQ was estimated based on IQ in surrounding nations.” Central Asia’s results, for instance are purely estimates. I seriously doubt that there are significant discrepancies in IQ among Eurasian populations (excluding Australoids and SE Asians– low IQ admixture and some SW Asian Arabs). All of the differences seem to be cultural to me.”

I live in China now and I do not believe the IQ numbers in the article above are correct. Chinese people have NO common sense. If they have high IQs they are not applying their knowledge in everyday life.

You actually make it appear really easy together with your presentation but I to find this matter to be really one thing that I feel I’d by no means understand. It kind of feels too complex and very vast for me. I am looking forward to your next put up, I’ll try to get the cling of it!

How did that space launch help the Great USSR Motherland survive as a vast empire today?

Yeah, that’s what I thought. Chinese are richer than Russians, learn the difference between GDP and net worth before you lecture us on IQ.

Russians could be in Beijing in 48 hours? LOL. Funny, you can’t even hold onto Ukraine and you’re thinking about invading China?

First off, China’s nuclear arsenal, like its army, is very cost-effective. Learn this concept. If Russians are so smart, why do you develop space and military tech only to have your economy collapse, and then are forced to sell it at 1/100th the price you spent developing it to foreigners?

If Russians are so smart, why do your intellectuals spend all their effort writing books and plays when the rural folk are ready to burn the nation the ground?

But average IQ for Han Chinese recorded by Richard Flynn sometime in the 21st century was around 100, rank 9 in the world, and unfortunately behind Korea and Japan. Don’t get me wrong, I am Chinese too, and disappointed by the statistics. Korea and Japan are smaller, by population and land area, so the education can be distributed effectively. Instead China has a large land area and a whole lot of people to feed, so the government is struggling. If based individually, the Chinese would be smartest among the races, only pulled down by large amounts of people in rural areas who don’t have enough capital to receive proper education, and those of ethnical minorities in China. The Han race is most capable, look at Taiwan and Hong Kong, topping the charts above Korea and Japan on Flynn’s IQ rankings. If China be smaller and less corrupt*, they will surely top the charts for this one.
Peace out :)

No offense but any data given in the article should be backed up with verifiable source. Opinion is one thing, but objective data needs to be backed up with verifiable source. Data without source as given in this article cannot be trusted. Nice picture job, by the way.

The Oriental Pearl tower was designed by the Chinese you Russian prick. It was designed and created by the Shanghai Oriental group and it’s designs are based on Chinese architects. And Chinese have been building infrastructure throughout Africa and the Caribbean so fuck you. Go choke on caviar and vodka you skin head prick.

I think IQ may generally refer to the potential ability of a person to learn knowledge or develop some ideas. As a Chinese, I would say that education is still a much more important aspect for the development of a nation. In my opinion, education decides the scientific and economic achievement much more than IQ effect. To be honest, Russia has many scientific advantage than China right now, it is mainly because of their relatively high secondary education (higher than US and many other developed countries according to OECD). On the other hand, China just has 4% population who aquire tertiary education in 2010 (though the number is improving dramatically, we are still backward than developed countries in general).

In my opinion, enlarging the number of college students is a great policy for China, which may lift up the educated level of the whole nation more than ever before. With the rapid development of China, young generations are enjoying much better education than our parents, it is the key advantage in the future. Comparing to India (anouther populous country implementing elite education with horrible illiteracy rate), China have much brighter future. Russia, on the other hand, will be suffered from population decrease in the following decades (especially low life expectancy for male), in addition, their slavic culture doesn’t appreciate “hard working” as Confucius and Germanic culture, it is a big problem for absorbing foreign investment.

IQ may be just one of the factors of mankind development. if chinese (asians) have higher IQ than whites (IF…), how to explain the names in Math and Physics textbooks are all european? so, i would say social structure, freedom of thinking (which is actually determined by social structure..), are at least same important. if u look at North and South Koreas, we agree their IQ should be the same. but…. …